Overview
The purpose of the Correspondence Register tool is to make it quick and easy to document any type of client correspondence, which can be referred back to, at any point and by anyone with access to that client.
It will act as a quick reference guide that can be accessed by the staff members in your practice who are in charge of completing the client work, so that they can see all types of communications - current and past - between the practice and the client.
Before you dive into the detail, a short video is a much easier way to get a quick understanding of how the register works. Then, dive into the details below to get all the info on how to build and maintain your own register.
The Correspondence Register List Page
1. Create a new correspondence entry
Click on the + sign to add a new correspondence.
2. Filter by,
View Select,
List Actions menu
(three-dot icon)
These are part of the Menus & Shared Elements used across AccountKit.
3. The list...
This is a snapshot of all Correspondence records within your practice.
Checkbox - Enables you to select multiple records to delete, archive or unarchive.
Type - This is the type of correspondence for that record.
Status - Highlights current status of record, when relevant.
Contact - Related to a particular record.
Client - Identifies the client associated to each record.
Summary - Shows a short description.
Date - Displays the date the record was created.
4. Row Actions menu
(three-dot icon)
The Row Actions menu (three-dot icon) appears on mouseover at the end of the row.
Use it to Archive or Delete a record. See Archive, Unarchive and Delete Records for the full detail.
General Variables & Input Fields
Below is the fixed list of correspondence types available to create a new entry in your register.
Phone Message
Phone Call Summary
File Note
Drop In
Meeting
Email
SMS
Mail
Each correspondence type will have its own associated input fields, relevant to each content.
For the example below, we'll use the Phone Message entry.
1. Message Type
Displays the type of correspondence for that entry.
2. Date & Time
Here you record the date and time of the interaction with the client.
It will default to the current date and time, but it can be changed.
Simply click on it and type in the new date and time, or you can also use the calendar icon to select a date.
This is the same for each Correspondence Type.
3. From
This field is where you enter the name of the person who's left the message.
It can either be a contact within your client and affiliates list, or you can type in a new name, if they don't exist within your list – i.e. John Smith or Bank manager for a client.
4. With regards to
This field represents the client entity this entry will be saved against.
Start typing to filter for applicable clients within your client list.
If you leave this field blank, the message will be defined as an [INTERNAL] message, not attributed to any specific client.
5. For
Here you select a member of your team to attribute the message and potential action to – such as to return a phone call.
6. Action required
Identifies if any and what actions are required (dependent on correspondence type):
Client will call back
No action required
Please call
Please call (URGENT)
7. On
This is the phone number that the client should be called back on.
This will auto-populate with a short list of numbers associated to the contact, if any.
8. About / Summary
Here you can summarise what that phone message or phone call summary is in relation to.
This is the same for each Correspondence Type.
9. Detailed Notes
This is a free text area where you can document further detail relating to the contact made, such as a message left by the client, a file note for referring back to later or a phone message for another team member to view, before returning a call.
This is the same for each Correspondence Type.
Note that you can insert saved "Text Templates" from your template list using the template icon within this field.
A text template can be as simple as a paragraph, or a full meeting agenda.
10. Notification to Recipient
From here you select how you want the selected team member (added in item 5) to be notified.
There are 4 ways to notify a team member:
In-app (the notification will appear on their AccountKit account)
Email
Slack
Teams
You can also re-notify users at any time, by clicking on the megaphone icon next to a name.
11. Notification to Other Users
This is where you select additional users to be notified, if you want them to be aware of the correspondence.
You can notify the team in the same ways as step 10.
This is the same for each Correspondence Type.
12. Shared Tool Bar
The Shared Tool Bar is also part of the Menus & Shared Elements used across AccountKit.
Workflow - Add the record to an existing or new Workflow in AccountKit, using Tasks and/or linking them.
Link documents - Using your DMS (Document Management System), link and access documents for that particular register, only available once a DMS has been connected.
Tag - Add a Tag to the record so it can be easily included in Reports, Workflow and anything else with a Tag.
Export - Export to a PDF file.
History - Review changes made to this entry, including time, user and elements updated.
Before you Start
Practice Settings
So you can get things set up with how you work from the outset, your practice administrator should head into your AccountKit Practice Settings and setup the defaults.
Review the Template Text options to customise your available templates.
Practice Settings > Tool Settings > Global Lists
Tags - these are the tags you can categorise text templates under.
Text Templates - these are where you can create new text templates utilising placeholders and the like.
Check out the full article on text templates for more info.
Review your practice settings to ensure the default settings are set to your liking.
Practice Settings > Tool Settings > Administration > Correspondence Register
Your options here are:
Track incoming and outgoing mail within the same record
Activating this setting allows correspondence going in and out to be tracked under the same correspondence record. This would be the equivalent of seeing email correspondence in conversation mode.
Enable email notification to user upon SMS reply
Activating this practice setting will send a notification to specified team members when an SMS sent from AccountKit receives a reply.
You can choose the individuals who need to receive this from the drop down (multiple users can be specified).
Practice email signature
From here you can modify the practice signature which is sent with correspondence with the email integrations.
This is particularly relevant when emailing directly from AccountKit.
My Profile
Ensure your Profile is also matching your preferences, to have the best experience with the Correspondence Register tool. This includes your User Settings and Integrations.
Click on Your Name > My Profile to open your profile card, review and update any settings.
Manage your Email Delegation, User Signature and Integrations.
Email Delegation allows other users to send emails on your behalf, using the AccountKit Correspondence Register.
Update and edit your User Signature.
Check and manage your Integrations, at your user level.
Creating a New Correspondence Record
For the example below, we'll use the Phone Message entry.
Select 'Add new correspondence entry', then choose the relevant type from the drop-down options.
A new window will pop up when the correspondence type is selected.
Follow the prompts to create the new record, adding all relevant details.
On the right-hand side, choose who in your firm will be notified (e.g. the team member the message is for), and how (e.g. via email etc)
You can insert templates and format your message using the menu bar between the subject line and the body of the message.
At the bottom of the screen, you can access the Shared Tool Bar for more actions such as links, collaboration, export etc.
In most fields, if a list of options doesn't automatically appear, press the down key to show you a list of available options.
Viewing and Working on an existing record
Click to open an existing Correspondence record to view all details, action the request (e.g. call someone) and take more actions.
1. Message Type and Date
Displays the type of correspondence, date and time for that entry.
2. Entry details and Formatting
All relevant details will appear within this section.
Add any formatting or template to the message, if applicable.
Read through all this information and take action, if required.
3. Client Details
Here you can quickly access all the details related to this client.
4. Shared Tool Bar
The Shared Tool Bar elements can be used at any point in time, even after the entry is created.
Viewing and Working on a record in Draft
Click to open an entry in Draft to view all details and take more actions.
Users can pick up an entry in Draft and take action at any time.
For example, a Draft message can be started by a team member in preparation for someone else to review it, make adjustments and hit send when ready, or in preparation for a task that will be completed later.
See how the Draft icon in orange appears on the top right of this window, indicating this message is in Draft status and therefore has not been sent yet.
At any point users can insert templates and format the text using the tool bar between the Subject line and the body of the message.
Adding timesheets
Users can add timesheets to any entry in the Correspondence Register, to record the time they spend when communicating with clients, especially if these interactions take a lot of their time.
The option to add a timesheet to an entry (XPM icon) becomes green and available to click on, as soon as the Client details are added to that particular entry.
Click on the green XPM icon and a new window will pop up.
Choose the Job and Task, add the time that was spent on it, and any relevant notes.
You have the option to post this timesheet to XPM, otherwise it will be auto saved in AccountKit only.
Types of Correspondence Record
There are currently eight types of correspondence available in AccountKit, which can be used to create a new record every time there's a client interaction.
Each correspondence type will have its own associated input fields, relevant to each content.
See each example below.
1. Phone Message
Someone (e.g. a client) called the business and left a message for a team member.
Use this entry to register the details of the message and notify the relevant team member(s), so they're aware of that contact and, if necessary, can take applicable action (e.g. call them back, complete a pending task etc).
This is the Phone Message entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
2. Phone Call Summary
There's been a call between a team member and a contact, and details to the discussion need to be captured.
Use this entry to add a summary of the conversation, that can be relevant for future reference or for current dealings.
Notify team members that need to be aware of that call and what was discussed.
This is the Phone Call Summary entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
3. File Note
This is used if you just want to record a note about the client that you would like kept on file for future reference. If you're importing notes from another system, this is where they'll appear.
This is the File Note entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
4. Drop In
If you have clients drop in, you can use this type to identify the reasoning and any accompanying notes.
This is the Drop In entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
5. Meeting
For capturing the notes for a meeting along with the attendees and those that put in an apology.
This is the Meeting entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
6. Email
Enables the capturing of incoming and outgoing client emails and storing them against a client and associated client group.
You can send an email direct to the client along with associated attachments taken from any connected DMS. See the applicable help article on how to set up and use the associated Email Centre and methods for capturing emails.
For more information see here:
This is the Email entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
7. SMS
This feature enables sending and receiving SMS messages to and from clients, using Twilio.
Please note this requires a subscription with Twilio, and an integration between AccountKit and them. See this article for full details: SMS enabling - Twilio Integration
This is the SMS entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
8. Mail
This is not an entry to send someone an email, but to create a record for something that has been sent via mail, or a record of an email that was sent outside of the AccountKit / Outlook / Gmail integration.
This is the Mail entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
Other Functions
View by Client Group
View all Correspondence by each client group, by selecting People > Client Groups.
Select the relevant Client Group you want to view and all their data will be available here, including all the Correspondence Register items for that Group in specific.
You can filter this view by a particular client, for that Client Group.
You can also view an individual entity that is not part of a group by removing the Group filter and then selecting a client from the drop-down.
And you can apply specific filters to narrow down your search.
"Search by" Functions
You can click on the magnifying glass to search by a key word, and apply filters to narrow down the search.
A further explanation can be found in the Menus & Shared Elements article.
Archive, Unarchive and Delete Records
You have the ability to archive, unarchive and delete records individually or by selecting multiple.
Simply select the relevant record(s) and at the bottom of your screen you'll have the three options to action. See the List Page for where these actions live.
Note that only an Administrator will have the ability to delete a record.
History
Track the changes made to a specific record by using the History icon in the shared tool bar section and make notes against the changes to explain the reason for them.
For a more in-depth explanation go to the Menus & Shared Elements article.
Bulk Messaging (currently in Closed Beta)
This feature is currently only available in Closed Beta to selected practices, while we gather feedback and continue improving the tool. If you'd like to join our team of Beta users, contact us on [email protected] and one of our awesome team members will assist.
Bulk Messaging allows your practice to:
Send personalised bulk emails to clients
Use dynamic placeholders for client, contact, group, user and date information
Build reusable email templates and reuse existing ones
Filter recipients using advanced criteria
Send emails from the assigned partner, manager, authority or team member
Schedule recurring campaigns
Reduce spam risk by sending directly from connected email inboxes
A walkthrough of setting up a Bulk Messaging campaign end to end - from your first template through to sending.
Before you start
Enable Bulk Correspondence functionality and define the users who you'd like to have access to it.
Note that users who have Practice Settings or Super Admin role will automatically have access once you enable the feature.
Practice Settings > Tool Settings > Administration > Correspondence RegisterPrepare your text templates.
You can do it in Practice Settings > Tool Settings > General > Global Lists: Text Templates, or you can create it when adding a new campaign, in the Content tab.
Both options will present the same layout to create the template content: a create / edit panel on the left, and a preview panel on the right, to illustrate how your message will display.Set primary groups and contacts.
Clients can belong to multiple groups, but you can now assign a Primary Group and also define a Primary Contact for each client. This is especially useful for: - Split family groups
- Complex entity structures
- Shared contacts Bulk Messaging will automatically use the designated primary contact when sending emails. To select them, click on the client's name to open their Client Card, then use the star icon to set a primary group and a primary contact.
Accessing Bulk Messaging
Note: Bulk Messaging must first be enabled for your practice, as part of the beta rollout.
Bulk Messaging is accessed from the Correspondence Register. To open it:
Click on Administration and open the Correspondence Register tool
Select Bulk Messaging in the top-right corner
Click Add New Campaign, or open an existing one to edit and/or schedule a new send via the Setup tab
Creating a Bulk Messaging Campaign
Once you click on Add a New Campaign (previous step), a new window will pop up for you to work your way through the task details, using the tabs on the left column to build your bulk correspondence template.
Click on each tab to display and fill up the details for each area of your campaign.
1. Overview
These are the main campaign details. Enter:
Type (currently only email is available)
Campaign Name
Campaign Description
Tags
2. Content
This is where you will either insert an existing template (by using the Insert Text Template icon), or you can edit/create a new one directly within the campaign.
You can preview the email on the Preview Panel on the right, by using a selected client and contact before sending.
Add a subject line for the email
Enter or edit the email content
Use Placeholders for customisation
Use the link icon to add attachments to your email
3. Setup *
scroll down for more details
Here is where you'll configure the recipients for the campaign.
Each schedule means a set of sends - check the schedule details and send dates to identify the differences.
Use a Schedule Name that will help users easily identify the recurrence and purpose for that campaign.
Click on Add a new scheduled send to start a new recurrence.
Recipient selection supports:
Manual client selection
Client groups
Entity filtering
Advanced filtering
4. Validation
Before activating a campaign, AccountKit validates:
Primary contact availability
Valid recipient email addresses
Assigned authority availability
Connected sender inboxes
Run a validation 7 days before the scheduled date. This number may also be set in settings.
Any issues will be displayed here before activation.
You can download the result report to an excel sheet, and share it with admins for their reference, to let them know if the data need to be fixed (or if it's successful).
5. History
After activation, campaign history is available within Bulk Messaging.
You can review:
Sent campaigns
Scheduled campaigns
Validation results
Delivery history
6. Work area
Here is where the details will be displayed for each tab, as you click through them.
Setting up your recipients and schedule details
There are three areas you'll need to fill up when setting up your campaign, who will receive your message and when it will be triggered. See each one's details below.
1. Schedule Details
Schedule Name - useful for other users, to easily identify what this is about.
Repeat Label - this is an embedded placeholder for the specific repeat, enabling you to maintain naming conventions for the template, with customisations even at the repeat level.
For example: {{client_group_name}} - {{month}} {{year}}Subject Preview - this is the updated preview from your text template in the Content tab, and it's replicating the Subject line determined in there.
2. Recipient Selection
To (Client Selection) - define the criteria for selecting clients to whom the email will be assigned to.
This then utilises the primary contacts name & email for each selected client and the primary group to populate client group placeholders.CC - utilise the CC for including relevant team members.
BCC - utilise blind copy (BCC) as appropriate.
From - identify which person (and email address) the email should come from. This could come from a particular user or from each individual user's account associated with a practice authority - e.g. the person responsible for each tax planning job.
3. Repeat Options
every - how often the email will be triggered.
on - when, within the frequency established above, the email will be sent.
start repeat - set up the date when the first email will be sent.
ending - when the recurrence should end.
behaviour - choose to Send the emails as soon as you activate the campaign or Send as a Draft.
- Send: emails will be triggered at the "start repeat" date, once the campaign is set to Active.
- Send as a Draft (recommended): choosing this option will send the draft emails to the Sender's Draft folder and will also appear in AccountKit's Correspondence Register, as Drafts. This means the sender can review and finalise the email content and send them from either location (e.g. Draft folder or AccountKit's Correspondence Register).
This option is particularly useful for when you want the details created in bulk, but need a little human touch before the email is sent.
Best Practice Recommendations
When getting started:
Test with 1-2 clients first
Expand to small groups
Validate placeholders carefully
Confirm primary contacts are assigned
Review previews before activation
Always Send a Test
Send a test message and/or delete the repeat
Open the Bulk Messaging campaign you'd like to test, jump to the Setup area and hover over the schedule you're testing to see the "Send test" green button. Here you can also see the bin icon to delete that repeat.
Click on Send test, then simply follow the prompts, adding the sender and recipient details, and which client you'd like to emulate:
Upcoming Features
SMS support is planned for a future release using the same Bulk Messaging engine. This will allow practices to send bulk SMS campaigns through integrated providers such as Twilio.
To be continued as the Bulk Messaging tool evolves and new features are added to it.
Integrations
Document Management
Your Name (bottom left corner) > Practice Settings > Integrations > Document Management
Link back to source documents enabling quick access and previewing from within any tool, plus the ability to save reports and files direct back into your DMS (e.g. One Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox etc).
Head to the DMS Support Article to learn which providers we support and how to connect and link source documents.
Internal Messaging
Your Name (bottom left corner) > Practice Settings > Integrations > Communication Settings
Enable correspondence register entries to be shared into Slack and Teams channels and to direct message people on your team.
See the articles below for more information on how to connect and use these within AccountKit.
Email Add-Ons
Your Name (bottom left corner) > Practice Settings > Integrations > Communication Settings
Enable pushing of emails direct from your inbox into the Correspondence Register whilst also saving and linking attachments to your DMS.
Click on each link below for the full details on installing, using and disabling these integrations.
SMS
Your Name (bottom left corner) > Practice Settings > Integrations > Communication Settings
Enables SMS messages using Twilio, see the following article for full details.
Related Links
Follow the link to see our various elements shared throughout the various toolsets.
Follow this link see what practice defaults for the mail register can be customised.
Learn how to connect and manage your DMS
Learn how to connect and utilise Slack within your practice
Learn how to connect and utilise Microsoft Teams within your practice
The mail register is integrated with the correspondence register for improved oversight.